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Ok, I think I’ve talked enough about minimalism for now. I’m starting to bore myself. So expect more house-related posts in the coming weeks. Long-time readers know my house is like a giant playground for me :) Enjoy your weekend!
Is decorating okay when you’re a minimalist?
Heck yeah!
Some minimalists will tell you that they don’t like decorating or that minimalism isn’t compatible with decorating.
I, on the other hand, enjoy the creativity involved in the decorating process. Minimalist living environments with a little oomph rock my world.
Now there’s decorating and decorating. I’m not talking about covering every inch of your walls with pictures and other memorabilia. I’m talking about making sure your home complies with your aesthetic standards.
Obviously minimalists are expected to keep it to the minimum and to not stuff their homes with decorating accessories and knicknacks, which should be easy enough because by definition, minimalists don’t like clutter and unnecessary accumulation of stuff.
No matter your decorating style, there is one thing that I believe is true and that will make a big difference in your home (much more than the decoration – or lack thereof), and architect and designer Le Corbusier said it better than me:
“Space, light and order. Those are the things that men need,
just as they need bread or a place to sleep.”
Stuff and memories
I usually don’t get attached to stuff. In fact, I clearly remember the first time I realized stuff was just stuff. When I was in my early twenties, I received a very expensive pen. A few months later, someone accidentally broke it. After a few days spent in anger and frustration, I realized how stupid it was to get angry over a pen, no matter its price, so I decided to get over it and move on. I guess minimalism was a natural progression from then on (although I have to say it took several years before I realized minimalism was the perfect lifestyle for me).
I now live by my own version of William Morris’ maxim “Have nothing in your house you do not consider to be useful or beautiful.” My version is: Have nothing in your house you do not consider to be BOTH useful AND beautiful. It has made the paring down process A LOT easier.
There is one thing though that I can’t get myself to rid of: a box of letters from family and friends. In a time where almost everything is virtual (even friendships), I find it important to keep a few reminders of my past life. I’ve been blessed with a handful of friends who care enough about me to take the time to send me a postcard or even a 3 page handwritten letter. I honestly don’t care about gifts. For me, nothing tops a handwritten card or letter sent by snail mail.
Anyways, this weekend, I bought a cork board for my studio (I first wanted to DiY it, but determined that the cost of material plus the time for planning and conception wasn’t worth the effort, and would in fact exceed the price of the store-bought cork board). It will serve as my inspiration board, and of course I thought about adding some of the cards I received from my friends. Some cards date back to the early nineties so they’re pretty special.
Since this is my studio where I do creative things, I allow a bit of “clutter” (from a minimalist viewpoint) for more visual stimulation. But I’m still on a mission to get rid of 500 things in the rest of the house. It isn’t as difficult as it sounds. Being selective is the key (knowing your priorities helps too). I’ll keep you updated. Have a great week!
My little piece of rainbow
I finally got around to arranging some of my books by color. I know it’s a controversial issue (just read the Apartment Therapy forums), and maybe it’s just a creative types’ thing, but I LOVE it! And I LOVE LOVE LOVE the light in my office!
My office is quickly becoming my favorite room in the house. So much so that it has become my inspiration for the decor of the rest of the house. And I finally hung my Enki Bilal poster that I brought back from France last September. It looks A-MA-ZING. Did I mention I love my office?
(Kinda) thrifty DiY shoe storage
Last night, I solved a problem that had been bugging me for weeks. I’d been looking for an inexpensive solution to store our shoes in the (almost finished) shoe/coat closet – to no avail. Then I decided to try superposing two shelving units (Rubbermaid maybe?) that were collecting dust in the garage and in the spare bedroom’s closet (we bought them 4 years ago when we were living in our previous apartment and I didn’t want to get rid of them because they were in perfect condition; plus I remember they weren’t exactly cheap). Anyway it was so easy and quick, I don’t know why it took me so long to come up with that.
Before talking about the boring part, here’s a sneak peek at my shoe collection (yes I love black. How did you know?)
Last night, I solved a problem that had been bugging me for weeks. I’d been looking for an inexpensive solution to store our shoes in the (almost finished) shoe/coat closet – to no avail. Then I decided to try superposing two shelving units (Rubbermaid maybe?) that were collecting dust in the garage and in the spare bedroom’s closet (we bought them 4 years ago when we were living in our previous apartment and I didn’t want to get rid of them because they were in perfect condition; plus I remember they weren’t exactly cheap). Anyway it was so easy and quick, I don’t know why it took me so long to come up with that.
Before talking about the boring part, here’s a sneak peek at my shoe collection (yes I love black. How did you know?)
So… superposing both units looked like a good idea but I needed to make sure they were firmly attached to each other. I found a few loomex connectors that our electrician friend used a while ago during the reno of my studio (I know… I sound like an expert but I actually had no idea what loomex connectors were until I googled the term literaly 5 minutes ago). The diameter was perfect, and there were 4 of them, which was all I needed.
First, I removed the plastic tops.
Then I inserted the loomex connectors to all 4 extremeties of the first unit, making sure the screws were turned towards the back (for aesthetic reasons).
Then I took the second shelving unit, and removed all 4 tops. The diameter of all 4 extremeties of this unit will need to be reduced a bit so that they can be inserted in the loomex connectors that are attached to the first shelving unit. I just cut vertically into the metal using regular metal shears (I don’t know if it’s the correct word in English).
Then I reduced the diameter of the 4 extremeties of the second shelving unit like so:
Then I inserted all 4 extremeties of the second unit into the connectors I attached to the 1st shelving unit:
Tadaaaaa! Instant MacGyver status.
Much better…
Not bad for 30 mn of my time and $0 spent, eh? More picture of the finished closet soon!
(Okay my English isn’t perfect so if you have any questions about a part of the process that I didn’t explain clearly, let me know.)
DISCLAIMER: This project isn’t error-proof but suits my personal needs. Research and sound judgement are advised before attempting any DiY project. I’m assuming you’re a responsible adult, not a 5-year-old kid, so if you get injured while trying to recreate this project, don’t file a $25,000,000 lawsuit against me or send me a hate mail. :)
